RISC OS
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A screenshot of RISC OS 4
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| Developer |
Castle Technology & RISC OS Open (version 5), RISCOS Ltd (versions 4 & 6) |
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| Written in | BBC BASIC, C, C++, assembly language |
| Working state | Current |
| Initial release | 1987 |
| Latest release | 5.22 or 6.20 / 25 April 2015 or 1 December 2009 |
| Latest preview | 5.23 / daily |
| Available in | English |
| Update method | Flash ROM, OTP ROM or loadable ROM image |
| Platforms | ARM |
| License |
Freeware/shared source (version 5), Proprietary (version 6) |
| Official website |
riscosopen riscos |
RISC OS /rɪskoʊˈɛs/ is a computer operating system originally designed by Acorn Computers Ltd in Cambridge, England. First released in 1987, it was specifically designed to run on the ARM chipset, which Acorn had designed concurrently for use in its new line of Archimedes personal computers. RISC OS takes its name from the RISC (reduced instruction set computing) architecture supported.
Between 1987 and 1998, RISC OS was bundled with every ARM-based Acorn computer model. These included the Acorn Archimedes range, Acorn's R line of computers (with RISC iX as a dual boot option), RiscPC, A7000 and also prototype models such as the Acorn NewsPad and Phoebe computer. A version of the OS (called NCOS) was also used in Oracle's Network Computer and compatible systems.
After the break-up of Acorn in 1998, development of the OS was forked and separately continued by several companies, including RISCOS Ltd, Pace Micro Technology and Castle Technology. Since then, it has been bundled with a number of ARM-based desktop computers such as the Iyonix and A9home. As of 2012[update], the OS remains forked and is independently developed by RISCOS Ltd and the RISC OS Open community.
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